The Phoenix Knight and the Ice Dragon
by Seiker Hikaru
Summary: Dante Cross is a young Duelist Prodigy: son of a champion an brother to another. Though one obstacle he has left to tackle is the hurdle that is Duel Academy. And who better t serve as a guide and hurdle than his own brother, Zachary? Rated T for now, but slight chance of adding things that could make this M
1. Chapter 1

The Burning Phoenix and the Ice Dragon

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**squat **_**from the YuGiOh series **_**at all. **_**IT WILL NOT BE SAID AGAIN.**

**Duel 1: The Phoenix Knight **

_**Domino City/Suburbs**_

In one of the rooms in a house/card shop hybrid, in the second of three occupied rooms a young duelist was once again reviewing his deck. The teenager was an avergae height for his age, close to five feet nine with a thin but average build, and at the moment he was wearing his school unifrom since he wasn't really aware of how late it was. His hair went down to his nape, with waves or tufts in certain places that framed his face, leaving his eyes slightly covered, the pattern going to the back and down to the end of his neck, and he had a bit of a pale complexion. His eyes were what really stuck out though, as they were a light blue hazel that seemed to have a myriad of colors the closer you got to the center.

"Check… check… and check! Hahaha!" the teen laughed, his voice bright and cheery, spinning around in his chair with his deck in hand. It was the same deck he'd been piecing together for a while now, and it was an idea that was relativly new for Duel Monsters nowadays, especially with the addition of a specific monster card he'd gotten from his brother.

And speaking of the brother, the teens blue cellphone went off, and he picked it up.

"Yello. Dante Cross speaking." The teen answered with his name, though he already knew who was calling.

"Really Dante? You wanna greet your big bro like that?" a deeper voice on the other end answered, and Jason laughed again.

"Aw c'mon Zack, I'm just kidding around. I knew it was you. So, how've you been?" Dante asked, flipping a pen between his left hands fingers out of a habit.

"Eh, you know, we just flew into town today. All the Obelisk Blue students are gonna be wathcing the test duels. You'll be going right? I mean, you DID skip out on a chance to go a to a prep school like I did." Zack stated, and even though he couldn't see it Jason nodded.

"Why would I not!? And more importantly, Zacky, you're gonna be there to watch me wipe the floor with the proctor right? Or do you wanna wait and be surprised by my new deck? And does it matter I chose not to go to one of the prep schools?" Dante snickered, and Zack sighed from the other end.

"Don't take the proctors lightly. They may just be using an examnination deck but they can be tough. One of the teachers is typically present as well, so mind that too. And how many times have I told you not to call me Zacky, Dante?" Zack muttered with a mildly annoyed tone, but then again this was regular banter for the two brothers, who were seventeen and fiteen respectivly.

"Meh, guess we'll see. But then again I don't think any of them will be expecting to face my Gemini Monsters." Dante snickered.

"Yeah, I saw the tournament. Gotta say, you've imporved little bro!" Zack chuckled.

"AW COME ON YOU ALREADY KNOW!?" Dante yelped, and Zack laughed, the younger brother sighing, "Well, you still haven't seen my two ace-in-the-holes yet so expect to be surprised at some point."

"Hahahaha! That'll be the day. Question: Are you even aware of the time?" Zack chuckled, and Dante's eyes widened, and he shot over to look at his clock.

"WHOA! When did it get so late!?" Dante yelped, shooting up. "OH man… and that reminds me that I missed the written test today… I'm so boned…"

"You're telling me you didn't even notice? Hagh, your perception of time is as off as ever! And, you know that because of that you'll only get half marks right?" Zack sighed with a slight chuckle.

"SHUT UP!" Dante snapped. "I know that. But what matters more is that I can duel well! And I'll prove it tomorrow!"

Zack laughed a bit.

"Hahahaha! Well, anyway, night little bro! You better put on a show tomorrow ya' hear me? I'm expecting somehting flashy!" Zack chuckled.

"Oh if you want flashy I can give you flashy. Night bro!" Dante laughed, and he hung up, flopping down onto his bed, clicking off his light and looking at the ceiling, putting his arms behind his head. "Soon, I'll be just as good a Duelist as my brother… just watch Zack… I'm finally gonna catch up with you! That's a promise!"

Dante clenched a hand and threw it up in the air, a usual trademark he'd gotten from his brother, spreading out his palm wide before drifting off to sleep.

_**The Next Morning**_

Dante snapped awake with a slight yelp, panting slightly.

"Agh… not the sleeping in dream again… what time is it?" Dante muttered as he put a hand on his head and looked over at the clock, shooting up. "CRAAAAP! I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now!"

Quick as a bolt, Dante switched to his school uniform and shoes, packed his duel disk into his back pack, made sure his deck was set up and in his case, strapping it to his pants waist, and sprinted out of the door without even waiting to eat.

"Dang it dang it dang it! Why the heck didn't I set my stupid alarm!?" Dante muttered as he sprinted down the roads, the Kaiba Dome already in sight since his neighborhood was close, and he dodged through the crowds of pedestrians, apologizing when he had to.

When the teen finally made it to the parking lot, he took a moment to lean on the rail, panting his lungs out.

"Man, I need to work on my endurance… that freaking _sucked!" _Dante groaned, and he yelped a bit when he saw the Academy workers at the desk filing the last entrant present. "Hold up a minute!"

"Hmm? One more. You're late." A man in a business suit stated.

"I… I know… woke up late…" Dante panted, his hands on his knees.

"Anyways, name?" The man asked.

"Dante Cross." Dante stated.

"Hmm… ah, here you are. Go right on in. You missed the written test but still have time for a duel exam, and with the test you'll get half marks since you were late." The man stated, and Jace groaned.

"Hoover Dam… well, half is better than nothing in my book. Thanks." Dante nodded, trotting inside, and near the rails, another boy was climbing up as Dante ran inside.

_**Inside the Arena**_

The final test duels were already ongoing, and in the stands with the blue coated proctors wathcing them with careful eyes, and one in particular stood out. From a distance once could've mistaken this imposing figure for a rather… ugly woman, but further inspection showed that this person was indeed a man, and his blue blazer was a bit more… styled when compared to the other proctors.

"Hmm? Dr. Crowler, two more applicants just showed up on the list…" one of the proctors stated, and Crowlser, the tall man, raised an eyebrow.

"WHAT!? Two slackers have shown up?" Crowler barked.

"Yes… sir, what should we do with them?" One proctor asked, and Crolwer hummed.

"_Slackers like that won't be allowed in MY Duel Academy… hmm… I wonder…" _Crowler thought with a hum, standing up.

"_I'll _duel them both!" Crowler declared as he stood up.

"Uh… sure, then what decks should we test them with?"

"Oh I will take care of that." Crowler chuckled as he walked away from the tables, a smirk on his face.

_**Stands**_

"So, there's another test going on. And the kids late. Pah, what a joke." A black haired boy scoffed, and he was wearing a blue blazer like all the other students present. The boys name was Chazz Princeton, one of Duel Academy's brightest, and the two boys next to him nodded in agreement.

"**Will Dante Cross please report to Test Arena 4 for your Trial Duel?" **The announcer stated, and just from the last name alone, a lot of the Obelisk Blue students heads turned up to someone up leaning on the railing, a seventeen year old wearing the inverted color Obelisk uniform coat, signyfying he was a second or third year, but left open to show his white shirt, and he had on worn jeans instead of the school issued ones. This teen looked amazingly similar to Dante, though his hairstyle was drastically different, being much messier and reaching down to his shoulder blades, but his eyes were exaclty the same.

"Zack, is that kid your…" The blonde girl to Zack's right, Alexis Rhodes, asked, raisng an eyebrow, the other, older boy, Zane Truesdale, who mainly stood out due to his white and blue blazer and dark green hair, simply glanced over, and Zack chuckled.

"My younger brother? Why yes, yes he is. Hey! Ya hear that Chazz!? Looks like you've got someone else to worry about!" Zack called out, and Chazz shot an angry look Zack's way, the other teen just laughing.

"Why do you do that? Heck, how do you two even know each other when you're a second year?" Alexis asked.

"Same way I know you. We've had to duel a few times and then there's the fact all the Obelisk boys live in the same dorm. And do what?" Zack asked as he leaned back on the rail.

"You know what I'm talking about." Alexis sighed.

"Eh, I think it's fun. But, I guess ol' Dante was late because he lost track of time and slept in. That sounds _just _like him. That, and he forgot about the written exam. Kid needs to set an alarm." Zack sighed.

"If he missed the written exam then it means he'll only be getting half marks on the written test. Which also means he can only get into Slifer Red." Zane stated.

"True, true. He may not have a good sense of time, but trust me when I say this Zane, the kid's a _genius _at Duel's. He's still got some way to go before cathcing up to his big bro, yours truly, but he can put on a show. I know just what to expect. And don't expect him to stay in Slifer for long. That's an assurance." Zack snickered, a smirk on his face as below, Dante entered the arena through a platform, Crowler already waiting with his Duel Vest ready.

_**Below**_

"Hmm… is it just me or does this bor look… familiar…?" Crowler mumbled.

"So, are the proctor… well… that outfit it… kinda gaudy don't ya think?" Dante muttered, hiding a small, snickering smirk.

"_Excuse _me!?" Crowler snapped.

"Eh… just commenting?" Dante muttered. _'Man, I _really _need to cut with the sarcasm.' _He thought.

"Hmph. Well, before we start, might I ask your name?" Crowler asked, _"Only so that it can be labeled as the name of a failure!"_

"Sure! The name's Dante Cross sir. I've got an older brother who's an Obelisk at the Academy." Dante chuckled, and Crolwer fel his eye twitch.

"Cross? As in, Zachary Cross? One of my students?" Crowler gulped. If that was true… then who knew how this boy would actually duel?

"Oh so _you're _the teacher Zack told me about! Don't some people have a hard time telling you're a he? Sir? Cause that's what Zack told me." Dante snickered.

"You've got quite the mouth don't you boy? Well in that case, I'll take the first turn!" Crowler snapped, drawing a card.

"Alright then. GAME ON!" Dante chuckled, redying his duel disk.

**Dante: 4000 Life Points**

**Crowler: 4000 Life Points**

"Alright then…" Crowler hummed as he scanned his hand, and lucky him, he'd gotten just the card combos he'd need to send this mouthy brat packing in an instant. "First, I set two cards face down, and then, I activate the spell card Heavy Storm!"

A burst of wind blew about the field, and both of the cards Crowler place shattered into pieces, and once the gale subsided, two liazrdlike monster rose from the dust.

"Token monsters? What, are you gonna summon a seven star or higher monster off the bat? Isn't that kinda… I dunno, overkill?" Dante muttered

"How could you tell!?" Crowler gasped in shock. The only one who'd seen through that so quickly before had been… _"By god, they _ARE _brothers…"_

"Hmph, even if you know my strategy I doubt a novice like you could match it. Now, rise! Ancient Gear Golem!" Crowler, shouted, and the rusted machine rose behind him, and Jace let out a low whistle.

**Ancient Gear Golem: 3000ATK/3000DEF**

"Man, talk about a rust heap." Dante muttered.

"Hmph. I'm not done yet. Now I activate the spell Confiscation! By sacrificing 1000 life points I can take a peek at your hand and banish a card!"

**Crowler: 3000 Life Points**

Crowler chuckled, smirking as the boy's hand appeared before him. "Hmm which one to banish… should it be Burden of the Mighty? No… it won't matter even if he does use it. I doubt this amateur has any monsters that are powerful enough in that deck of his… ah, now this is interesting! Alright, I choose to banish Dark Valkyria to the Graveyard!"

Crowler placed a hand over the card, and it turned, showing the image of the dark armor clad angel, and the card shattered, Dante not so much as flinching as he placed the card in the graveyard slot.

"Alright, my turn!" Dante yelled as he drew, and he smirked when he saw the card, looking at the rest of his hand.

**Drawn Card: Birthright. **

**In hand: Burden of the Mighty**

**Scrap-Iron Scarecrow**

**Phoenix Gearfried**

**Evocator Chevalier**

"Well, that's a neat hand I got here. Now, how to get Gearfried on the field…" Dante muttered, "First off, I'll Set two trap cards on the field, and next, I activate the spell Burden of the Mighty!"

Dante set down all three cards, two of them remaining down, and the thrid rising to reveal the image of a hand reaching for a crown with a nest of small birds in it, and the Ancient Gear Golem let out a creaking sound as it rusted over more.

"With that spell, you Golem's attack drains by 100 for each Level it has. So say goodbye to a good 800 attack!" Dante snickered, a smirk on his face.

**Ancient Gear Golem: 2200ATK/3000DEF**

"Tch, don't think too much of it. I can still take you down easily." Crowler scoffed.

"But I never said I was done was I?" Dante snickered, raising a card in his right hand, "Now, to top this turn off, I summon one of my favorites in attack mode! Come on out, Evocator Chevalier!" he yelled, slamming the card down onto his disk, and the monster, a knight clad in burning red and orange armor wielding a silver and gold curved sword with flames burning on the left hand leapt out of a tornado of flames.

**Evocator Chevalier: 1900ATK/900DEF**

"You must be joking! Is that the best you've got!? You wouldn't even scratch my Golem with that monster!" Crowler laughed.

_**Stands**_

"Ha, see that Zack? Even if the kid lowered Crowler's monster's attack, he still doesn't stand a chance!" Chazz scoffed, looking back and hoping to see Zack angry or at least with some other expression, but no, the other Obelisk was _still _smirking.

"Well then Chazz, you obviously have no idea the kinda Duelist my little bro is. He's got a plan. I can tell from the way his field is set up and the look on his face. The kid has the burning spirit of a phoenix, and watch what happens when he lets it fly." Zack snickered, getting some odd looks, but other wise, the others turned back to the duel.

_**Arena**_

"Well, now that it's my turn again, I'll draw!" Crowler stated, not really looking at the card in his hand, just a simple spell he could save for later. "Now, to get this over with, Ancient Gear Golem, smash that pitiful knight!"

The Golem responded by rearing back a fist, and Jace smirked as it came flying towards his monster.

"Oh no you don't! I activate my first trap! Scrap Iron Scarecrow! With this, your attack is negated completely!" Dante shouted, the trap card rising, and the literal scrap iron scarecrow appeared in front of Evocator Chevalier, but the Golem's fist went right through and pulverized Dante's monster. "What the?!"

**Dante: 3700 Life Points**

"You see, my Golem isn't effected by any of your traps cards while he's in play, so that scarecrow is completely useless against me. Honestly you should've known that." Crowler stated with a cocky smirk, and though he expected a downtrodden look what he got was a confident smirk.

"Well, now I know that, thanks Teach. But, I'm still not done in the department of traps. Now I activate the second trap I placed, Birthright! With this, I can summon any normal monster in my graveyard to the field, so come on back out Evocator Chevalier!" Dante yelled, and his flaming knight came back to the field, and Crowler was shocked.

"WHAT!? How did you do that!? That card is an effect monster! You're cheating!" Crowler crowed, and Dante raised a finger.

"No I'm not actually. You see, Evocator Chevalier here is a Gemini monster, a rather new type of monster that I specialize in. You see, until I make it so, Gemini monsters count as normal monster, and when in the graveyard they also count as those. So really, his effect is inactive right now." Dante stated.

"H-how…" Crowler growled, one eye twitcing, and in the stands Zack was still smirking as surprised sounds went around the crowd.

"Well, I suppose since there's not much left for you to do I can draw!" Dante chuckled, drawing his next card and grinning. "Ribbon of Revival eh? This'll come in handy for my plan. So, to kick this off, I'll start by awakening my Chevalier's power as a Gemini!"

Dante tapped the card, and Evocator Cehvalier glowed for a moment before the flame in his left hand glowed brighter.

"Next, I equip Evocator with the Equip Spell Ribbon of Revival!" Dante stated as the set the card, the blue ribbon appeareing around Evocator's arm, "But he won't have it for loong, because now I can activate his special ability now! Y'see, by sending any equip card on the field to the graveyard, I can destory one of your cards on the field! And seeing as how your Golem can only stop spells and traps, and effects during the battle phase _and _is the only thing present on your field, this right here is perfect! So say goodbye to the rust heap! Evocator Chevalier! Rending Flame!" Dante yelled, sending the spell card in his hand to the graveyard, and Evocator Chevalier shot up, bringing his hand along his sword and lighting it's blade with flames, brining it down and slicing through the Golem like a hot knife through butter, the machine exploding into shards.

"I-Impossible! How could my Golem fall!?" Crowler shouted in terror, and Dante flicked his thumb across his nose.

"Nothing's impossible! Besides, that was a bit too easy to see through in terms of strategy. Simple intimidation and domination that I could counter with Chevalier's special ability. So, what'll you pull off next eh Teach?" Dante snickered

Crowler let out another growl, and he pulled out a frilled hankerchief, wiping off his brow. He was actually sweating here. Dante may have pretty much missed the written exam by a small margin, but in dueling skills it was hard to think he actually had Crowler on the ropes.

_**Stands**_

"No way! He took down Crowlers best monster!" One of the Obelisks next to Chazz gasped.

"It was dumb luck." Cazz scoffed.

"Amazing. He completely countered Crowler's startegy and took down his Golem in a matter of seconds!" Alexis gasped, and Zack snickered.

"And Dante still has his battle phase to use. I don't find it surprising he did that so easily. If only he'd gotten here for the wirtten test Dante would've had a guarnteed spot in Obelisk Blue. Or at least Ra Yellow." Zack sighed. "So, impressions Zane?"

Zane just kept quiet, and Zack sighed again.

"Silent as always. Well, let's see how this finishes… then again Crowler's whole strategy revolves around his Golem, so I think Dante's got this in the bag." Zack stated, leaning on a hand.

_**Arena**_

"Now, seeing as how my turn isn't finished yet, I'll top this off by having Chevalier attack your life points directly!" Dante yelled, the knight dashing forward and slashing Crowler, who flinched as the blade passed through him and hit his life points hard.

**Crowler: 1100 Life Points**

"We'll see how this turns around… my turn!" Crowler stated as he drew a card, then looking at the spell card in his left hand. "Hmm… alright, I'll start by summoning my Ancient Gear Soldier in Attack Mode!"

Crowler placed the card on the field, and the rusted soldier rose up to the field.

**Ancient Gear Soldier: 1300ATK/1300DEF**

"Another rust bucket? Is it just me or are you getting kinda desperate? That thing can't do much against my Chevalier." Dante stated.

"We'll see how long you keep that talk up! Next, I activate the spell Ancient Gear Factory! With this, I can take on Ancient Gear monster in my graveyard and return it to my hand, so I'll be taking my Golem back." Crowler stated, and Dante just let out an amused sound.

"Alright then, now it's my turn! Hope for a lucky one!" Dante drew the card and looked at it, going through the rest of his hand. "Blazewing Butterfly eh? Well, sorry Gearfried, guess you're gonna have to sit this duel out. To top this off, I'll start by summoning my Blazewing Butterfly in attack mode!"

**Blazewing Butterfly: 1500ATK/1500DEF**

"Now, how about I go ahead and wrap this little game up huh? First, Blazwing Butterfly, roast that Ancient Gear Soldier!" Dante yelled, and the firey winged butterfly let out a spectacular gout of fire that melted Ancient Gear Soldier.

**Crowler: 0900 Life Points**

"What!? That's…" Crowler yelped.

"Enough Life Points left for my Chevalier to wrap this up! Go, Phoenix Bolt!" Dante yelled, and Evocator Chevalier let loose a blast of flames that took the shape of a phoenix, and Crowler's eyes widened as it rushed towards him, a cloud of dust shooting up when it connected.

**Crowler Life Points: 0000**

"H-how… how did I lose?" Crowler mumbled as the monsters on the field vanished, falling to his knees, and Dante threw out a peace sign.

"Hehehe, jackpot! I did pretty good, dontcha think, Teach?" Dante chuckled, closing an eye, and Crowler growled at the boy.

_**Stands**_

"Hahahaha! That's how ya' do it! Nice going there Dante!" Zack cheered, throwing up a fist excitedly.

"Whoa… the kid beat Crowler. He really is your little brother Zack!" Alexis chuckled.

"Well what else would you expect? I taught the kid after all!" Zack stated proudly, snickered when he saw the look on Chazz's face. "Man, now that is priceless!"

"Hmm… he's definitly got the skills needed." Zane muttered, and Zack snickered again.

"Of course he's get the skills. Though I am a little surprised at how far he deviated from what I taught him. Though nice to see he found his own way to duel." Zack stated, " So, who wants to place bets he'll be in Obelisk by the second month?"

"Oh not with your bets again! You remember what happened last time!" Alexis snapped, and Zack laughed.

"Aw c'mon Lex, that was a friendly competition! No harm was done." Zack laughed.

"Yes, harm was done! And how many times have I told you not to call me Lex!?" Alexis snapped, and Zane just rolled his eyes at the two's argument.

In the lower stands where the applicants were, Dante was trotting up to an empty seat, and he looked back when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Dante turned, and then his look brightened up when he saw his brother looking down at him.

"Sup Dante? Gotta say you really did manage to put on a show!" Zack chuckled, giving a two fingered salute, leaning on the seat.

"Well, you asked, and I delivered. So, what did ya' think? Pretty sweet deck I've built huh? It's a shame I didn't get to bring out my ace." Dante chuckled, and Zack nodded.

"Pretty cool little bro. And I've gotta say, never seen anyone beat Crowler that fast, though I am curious why he chose to duel you and not let one of the Proctors do it. Maybe I can ask him. And I've got a bit of a feeling he's not gonna like you very much." Zack snickered.

"Eh heh, yeah… and then I also missed the written test… so, guess I can't get into Ra at least since I don't have any sort of recommandation like you did. By the way, what kind of teacher is that Crowler guy?" Dante sighed, leaning on a hand.

"Well, I don't think it's too much of a concern. Two months, give or take, I bet you'll be out of Slifer and Into Obelisk in no time! You're good enough. Just work on that problem you've got with keeping track of time and you'll be fine!" Zack chuckled, lightly tapping Dante's shoudler.

"Yeah, don't remind me. I really need to start setting an alarm for myself. And can I get an answer for my question?" Dante sighed, hanging his head, Zack laughing as he patted his back.

"Well, Crowler is actually a good teacher, you'll see. I respect the guy a lot, but doesn't mean I can't poke fun at him on occasion, which I love to do and get away with so very often." Zack snickered.

"So, those two years at Duel Academy haven't dulled your joking edge has it?" Dante snickered, and Zack shut an eye, throwing up a peace sign like Dante did, and the two bumped fists.

"**Would Jaden Yuki please report to Arena 3 for your Duel Exam?" **The announcer asked, and the two Cross siblings looked down at the arean, and Zack raised an eyebrow as he sat down.

"What the heck? Dr. Crowler is gonna duel again, even though he's a teacher? And for the record I'm still wondering why he dueled you in the first place due to that." Zack muttered.

"Hey, it happened and that's that. I hope this next guy puts on as much of a show as I did." Dante chuckled.

"Hope you're right little bro. If Crowler loses twice in one day boy will that be a story to tell!" Zack chuckled, and the two brother bumped their fists.

"Let the show begin!"

**A/N**

**This here was an idea I had a **_**long **_**time ago, though of course it was heavily changed. As a note, Dante's deck is a Gemini deck, and Zack will use an Ice Barrier deck. Also, I made errors and fixed them so hopefully things for you more analytic types will make more sense.**


	2. Chapter 2

The Phoenix Knight and the Ice Dragon

**Duel 2: Slifer Slackers?**

_**Domino City Docks**_

Dante rushed down the steps for the docks fast as he could, moving at a ridiculous sprinting speed.

"Hold up! You've got one more coming on!" He yelled, waving an arm and stepping onto the helicopter that would be taking him and several other students to Academy Island.

"You're late kid. Name?" The official at the door asked.

"Dante… Cross…" Dante panted, leaning on the side as the official leafed through their papers.

"Yup, your names here. Alright, you're good to go. Enjoy your flight."

Dante nodded and walked to the cabin, taking a seat and leaning his head back with a heavy sigh.

"Man, I _really _need to start setting an alarm…" Dante sighed, sinking low into his chair, and he heard the teen across from him, a dark haired boy with eyes the same color, make a curious noise.

"Hmm? Aren't you one of the late arrivals who defeated that teacher at the Dueling Exams?" The boy asked, an accent in his voice, and Dante flicked his thumb across his nose.

"Yep! That'd be me! Dante Cross is the name, and dueling's my game, obviously." Dante snickered, and the boy across from him smiled a bit.

"Well, certainly nice to meet a skilled Duelist like yourself. I'm Bastion Misawa." Bastion stated, holding out a hand, and Dante shook it.

"Nice to meet you too Bastion. So, any idea which Dorm you're gonna be in?" Dante asked, leaning back again.

"Hmm, not quite, though I did make the highest scores on the written exam and aced my duel exam." Bastion stated.

"Hmm… then most likely Ra Yellow for you if it's like that. You can't really get into Obelisk right away unless you're rich or have a recommendation anyway, and I know enough to know that since I missed the written exam I'm stuck in Slifer Red for now." Dante stated.

"You seem to know an awful lot about Duel Academy. Care to share why?" Bastion asked with a curious glint in his eyes.

"Well, my older brother is a second year in Obelisk Blue. Zachary Cross, you may have heard of him? Everyone there calls him the Ice Dragon because of his deck, or so he's told me. He's actually the one who taught me and, well, he told me a lot about the academy so that I'd know." Dante stated with a slight shrug.

"Ah. Would this brother happen to be the winner of multiple national tournaments as well? The name certainly sounds familiar to me." Bastion asked, and Dante nodded.

"Yeup. We actually moved to Domino City from New York City a few years back, so, that explains the reason why my Japanese is a little… eh, sometimes. If you heard me speaking English I wouldn't sound this formal sine we're from Brooklyn." Dante chuckled.

"Ah, American. I thought you looked a little out of place among the crowd at the Kaiba Dome. Well, either way, I hope we get a chance to duel each other sometime soon. I'd love to get a chance to face your dueling strategy myself." Bastion stated.

"Heh, challenge accepted then!" Dante chuckled with a nod.

"_Attention new Duel Academy students, if you look outside your windows you'll see your new home away from home." _The pilot announced after so long, and Dante craned his neck to look out the window with his usual grin on. The place looked just like the pictures Zack had sent him the previous year, and boy was it getting his excitement through the roof. _"We know you're excited but don't shove. Quite a sight eh? Now then, fasten your seatbelts and set your seats back to an upright position. We're going in to land. Next stop, Academy Island."_

**Sometime later/Classroom**

A small crowd of first year students was gathered at the lower floor of the class, each one a mic between red, yellow, and blue blazers, and on the screen in front of them, Chancellor Shepard appeared.

"_Good morning and welcome my students. I'm Chancellor Shepard, the Headmaster here, and YOU are best, and brightest young duelists in the world. Now please, get yourselves settled in at your assigned dorms. I think you'll find them quite comfortable, depending on how you ranked of course. Hahohoho." _

Once the announcement was done, every student was free, and Dante was quick to part from the crowd, and now, he was wearing a standard issue Slifer Red blazer, but left open to show his black shirt, which had a red and gold phoenix symbol on the front, it's wings wrapping around to his back, and the school pants were also replaced by a newer pair of dark jeans, of course with the normal red boots as well in place of his sneakers.

"So let's see… the Slifer dorms should be on the other end of the island near the Dueling Arena's if the map in my head serves right." Dante muttered as he made his way into the courtyard.

"Hey! Over here!" a cheery voice called out, and Dante turned to see another boy with dark brown hair waving at him, another, smaller boy next to him with light blue hair, both wearing Slifer blazers, and Dante trotted over.

"Can I help you?" Dante asked.

"Heh, you're that guy who beat that teacher same as me right? I thought you looked kinda familiar." The brown haired boy asked, and Dante nodded. "Sweet! My name's Jaden Yuki! In case you didn't see it, then I'm the other guy who beat that teacher! Nice to meet someone who might be on the same level as me!"

"Jaden huh? I'm Dante Cross. Nice to meet you. And just what do you mean by "same level"? Cause that sounds like a challenge to me." Dante snickered, folding his arms.

"Oh it is. I'm one of the best duelists around here ya' know?" Jaden snickered.

"Jaden, I don't think now is the time to get cocky… oh, and I'm Syrus Truesdale by the way. Nice to meet you Dante. And I guess we're all gonna be in the same dorm since, well, all three of us are wearing red." Syrus mumbled, and Jaden took a moment to look at all three of them.

"Hey! Sy's right! Well, good to know we're in close proximity! If you ever want to have a crack at me, just say the word and I'll be ready to duel!" Jaden chuckled.

"Heh, alright then Jaden, I'll accept that challenge. But first let's get through orientation before getting our game on." Dante chuckled, and Jaden laughed.

"Hey man now that's my line! Don't go and steal it!" Jaden laughed, and Syrus sighed.

"Something tells me those two are going to get along just fine from here on out." Syrus mumbled with a small grin.

**Slifer Dorms**

Dante trotted up the steps to the upper dorm level, going to the furthest down dorm and checking his PDA.

"Well, this should be it. Man, this dorm kinda reminds me of one of those cheap hotels… ah well, I can make do for now. Wonder if I'm gonna have a roommate or two?" Dante mumbled as he opened the door to the room, which was simple set with a wall table and sink/stove, three bunks with blackout curtains, one measly window looking out over the sea, and a couple of dressers, which was about it, and the curtains on the highest bunk were drawn, hiding the occupant.

"Well, guess I do have a roommate." Dante hummed, not watching the door, which slammed shut behind him, making him jump, the teen letting out a yelp as he fell to the floor.

"Hey would you keep it down!? I'm trying to… GYAGH!?" A voice shrieked, and the curtains flew back before quickly shutting again, and Dante could've sworn he'd heard and seen a girl within that split second.

When the curtain finally opened again, the person who hopped down seemed to be a boy, though for some reason he was wearing a hat big enough to cover most of his head, some locks of dark blue hair waving out and some more framing his pale face, his eyes matching the color, and he was wearing a slightly modified Slifer Uniform, a white shirt peeking out from underneath, though Dante found it odd that this guy looked a little girlish, especially since they were kinda paler than most guys could get, and a bit too far on the cute side of the scale. Made him think they must be some kind of shut in perhaps.

"What the heck are you doing here? I didn't think I'd wind up with a roommate." The boy muttered, and it seemed like he was forcing a deeper tone to his voice.

"Uh, well, I'm actually assigned to this room believe it or not, if you're gonna be like that." Dante muttered as he sat up, brushing off his knees, and his roommate sighed heavily, placing a hand over their eyes.

"Great, when I thought I'd get a room to myself. Well, since I'm apparently stuck with you I'll introduce myself. I'm Luke Undine, nice to meet you." Luke introduced.

"Dante Cross, and likewise." Dante nodded, and Luke's eyes widened shortly.

"Cross? You mean like Zachary Cross? One of Duel Academy's top second year students?" Luke asked, and Dante snickered.

"Man just how many people have heard of my brother?" Dante mumbled that in English, a slight accent to his tone befitting his New York heritage, which surprised Luke, "But, yep, that'd be him."

"Hold up a moment, you speak English?" Luke asked, and Dante nodded slowly with a confused look.

"Uh, duh. I'm originally from Brooklyn, thank you very much, though I do live in Domino City now." Dante stated, and Luke sighed.

"Oh thank God, someone I can actually talk to with ease. Though that accent is a little irritating" Luke sighed in English, sitting down on one of the wall tables cushion seats, and Dante found his complaint a little… odd, since his Japanese was near spot on like his.

"What, you got an issue with people like me?" Dante grumbled, crossing his arms, "And you don't like speaking Japanese?" he added, both phrases also in English, as he started making sure his things were in place, and he took a moment to admire his new academy issued duel disk.

"No, I do not like it. I pretty much went through a month and a half long crash course on the language before coming here, and it was a pain to do so." Luke muttered, narrowing his eyes at Dante, who was now laying down on his chosen bunk with his arms behind his head. "So, how'd you wind up in a dorm with us Slifer Slackers huh? If your brother is some kind of prodigy than shouldn't you be better, or at least close to his skill level?"

"Hey! I'm possibly one of the best Duelists in the academy! All I need to do is catch up to my brother and I can prove it. The reason I'm here in Slifer is 'cause I've got a bad sense of time and missed the written exams. I'll make the note I whooped a teacher who was using their own deck during my Dueling test." Dante muttered, a suddenly bitter tone in his voice.

If there was one thing he hated more, it was being compared or sized up to Zack. He got along with his brother just fine, but he hated the fact people only saw him as "Zachary's little brother." It was hard living in the shadow of someone you look up to and respect. It was why Dante had deviated to his own style of dueling apart from what his brother had taught him.

"Hey, no need to get all defensive on me like that. I'll be honest I don't plan on being in these dorms to long. Slifer's like us get a lot of crap thrown at us, especially from kids in Obelisk." Luke grumbled, and Dante sat up.

"What do you mean by that?" Dante asked.

"Remember when I said "Slifer Slackers"? Well, Slifers like us are the lowest rank, scraping at the bottom of the barrel. Most of the guys here are mediocre at best or stupidly lucky to even _get here. _Me? I transferred in so they just placed me here." Luke stated.

"So that's why you said that. Well, maybe we can find a way to prove some of them wrong? I mean, I don't plan on being here in the Slifer dorm for long either, I'm aiming for Obelisk like my brother, who got there off the bat since he went to a dueling prep school." Dante stated, laying back down.

"Well, if you wanna get up there with those rich blowhards then you've gotta find a way to blow the teachers minds during the monthly exams first." Luke scoffed, turning back around.

"Something tells me you don't have much of a liking for kids in Obelisk, do you?" Dante asked, and Luke sighed, leaning his head back.

"I have my reasons for things. Especially because of somebody I know." Luke stated, flicking one of the strands of hair that was peeking out of his hat, and Dante just made a sound.

"Eh, not my concern I guess." Dante shrugged, sitting up and going to the door.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna explore around campus for a bit. Maybe check out the dueling arena and see what my brother was talking about. Not much else to do until evening." Dante opened the door and put his arms behind his head, and Luke sighed again.

"I'll show you around a bit. I got here a couple days ago so I know my way around." Luke stated as he stood up and followed Dante out.

"You got here early? Wow, I only got here today." Dante mused as they trotted down the steps.

"Please don't jabber on like some of the others in this dorm." Luke sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, I won't. I'll just ask the occasional question if I don't know much… though I know a lot since my brother filled me in on most of this." Dante stated.

"Dante, be sure not to be too wild with this one. I have a feeling there's more to this Luke than we think." A voice Dante knew well, one that was proud and noble, sounding eerily similar to his own but with a much deeper tone, caused the teen to smile, and he looked back when Luke went ahead, though he kept walking, and following him was the one duel spirit he knew well, a tall knight in gleaming white armor with some orange accents, all of it edged in gold, his white and black cape flowing as he moved, and on his left arm a white shield edged like his armor, a black broadsword sheathed in the shield.

"Aw c'mon Phoenix Gearfried, I'm sure he's an okay person. Doesn't seem so bad to me." Dante chuckled, and the Duel Spirit of his ace monster seemed to sigh, his eyes closing shortly.

"There's just something familiar about this one, though I can't quite place it yet." Phoenix Gearfried stated, and Dante hummed, putting a finger on his chin.

"You mean like what you said with me before? That I remind you of somebody you knew back during the time you were alive?" Dante asked, and Phoenix Gearfried nodded.

"Yes." The Duel Spirit stated, and Dante hummed, turning back around.

Phoenix Gearfried had started appearing to Dante at a rather young age, around the time the boy had started building his Gemini oriented deck after a particular junior tournament, at first, simply as a voice who would offer him advice when it was needed, especially in using the abilities of his monster, and the knight had acted as something of an extra coach to the boy as he honed his dueling style, and, two years ago, around the time Zack left for Duel Academy, Phoenix Gearfried appeared to Dante in full, though his past is a story for another time.

"Dante, who the heck are you talking to for crying out loud?" Luke snapped as he turned around.

"Uh… no one." Dante mumbled. _"I have no idea if Luke can see or even hear Duel Spirits like I can… and if not then no doubt he'll think I'm crazy for even suggesting it…" _he thought, letting out a sigh, and he flinched for a moment when he saw a faint glimmer near Luke, who huffed and turned around, though Dante couldn't make out the shape.

"Gearfried… did you see that?" Dante asked, turning to his partner.

"Yes… though I do not think I know that spirit myself, their presence is also familiar to me so perhaps I do." Phoenix Gearfried responded.

"More mysteries added to the book…" Dante sighed as his Duel Spirit Partner vanished. "Hey! Hold up will you!?"

"Well maybe if you'd quit mumbling to yourself and _walk _I wouldn't be ahead of you so much." Luke stated, and Dante sighed.

"Touche. So, how much further?" Dante asked, and Luke pointed to their left, right at the building with the red, yellow, blue, and white domes.

"Right there. Those are the main dueling arenas on campus. Each of the three colored domes is where the students of each color tend to battle, if they're not dueling somewhere on campus, and the big white one is where, I suppose, the monthly tests are held since it's so much larger than the others." Luke stated.

"Sweet! Let's go check it out!" Dante laughed, running off.

"Hey, wait up! Ggh, I swear he is going to get into some serious trouble one of these days." Luke sighed, following at an even pace.

**Arenas**

"Dante, do you even know which arena you're heading to right now?" Luke grumbled.

"No. Once we get to one we'll get to one! Who cares which one it is! I just wanna see one." Dante stated.

"You do remember I told you each dorm is assigned to a certain arena right? We're not supposed to be in the Ra or Obelisk arena's unless we were invited into them for a duel by someone from that dorm." Luke sighed.

"I know that, but it's orientation day so who's gonna care?" Dante chuckled, looking back.

"Everyone in the other dorms will. I told you, we Slifers get a lot of crap from the other dorms since we're so low ranked." Luke grumbled, and Dante just snickered.

"Well, maybe it'll just be up to some of us to prove them wrong dontcha think?" Dante snickered.

"You are way too optimistic. I get beating a Ra, but an Obelisk? Most of those jerks went to a prep school for a few years or got specific recommendations. Even _if _you managed to beat Dr. Crowler I'm not sure you'd manage against one of his students." Luke muttered.

"And _you're _too negative. We'll have to fix that." Dante mused.

"I have my reasons." Luke grumbled, and he grabbed Dante's collar right when they walked past one of the arenas. "We're here."

Dante turned his head and whistled slightly as he walked into the arena.

"Ni-ice! Every bit as state of the art as Zack said it'd be! Man, this school just gets cooler by the minute!" Dante chuckled, and Luke crossed his arms, looking back up at the arena's symbol and letting out a sigh.

"Oh great..." Luke sighed.

"Hey, what's a couple of Slifer Slackers doing in here?" A voice said.

"More? What? Didn't a couple of em' just leave?" Another, more bitter voice spoke, and Dante turned in the direction, spotting Chazz Princeton glaring down at him and Luke, the latter Slifer pulling his hat over his face.

"An Obelisk?" Dante hummed.

"Well duh, after all this _is _our arena. Didn't you see the symbol?" Cazz growled, pointing off in the direction of the Obelisk symbol on the entrance, and Dante followed.

"Ohh, so this is the Obelisk arena. Nice." Dante chuckled, and Chazz growled again.

"Hold on a second, I recognize you. You're that _other_ slacker who humiliated Dr. Crowler. Zachary Cross' little brother, am I right?" Chazz asked with an angry tone, and Dante just smirked.

"That would be me. Why? Is there some sort of problem?" Dante asked, titing his head.

"Dante… be quiet." Luke warned.

"Oh nothing much except for the fact I want some payback on you _and _that Jaden guy for what you did to Crowler, and then there's also the clear point of you being Zachary's brother, who I don't like very much." Chazz stated.

"Oh? What did he do?" Dante chuckled.

"Dante… please shut up, you don't want to jump into that pit." Luke said in the same warning tone.

"What did he do? Well, it's no surprise you wouldn't know considering you're just a Slifer Slacker, but let's just say I have a debt to settle with him as the next King of Games." Chazz muttered, and Dante flicked his thumb across his nose with an amused hum.

"Next King of Games huh? What a coincidence, that's my goal too! Then again it's also Zack's so I've got some competition. Maybe we can make a friendly competition out of it sometime?" Dante chuckled, and Chazz growled, an annoyed look on his face.

"_Where the heck does this slacker get off thinking he talk to me, _CHAZZ PRINCETON _like that!? And next King of Games? Yeah, like that'd happen." _Chazz thought.

"Sorry, but I've already made other arrangements at the moment. Besides, I'm not gonna waste my time on someone who's older brother is obviously the one I should be more concerned about with my goal. Even if you _did _beat Crowler. I'll get payback another time, and it'll be quick, got it?" Chazz stated, turning around, and Dante's look darkened, and Luke flinched when he felt a slightly darker feeling from the other Slifer.

"Uh… Dante?" Luke asked.

"So, again people are just gonna compare me to Zack… Chazz, was it? Listen up, next chance we get, I want a duel right here in this arena. I don't care when, but I'm gonna show you I'm not just someone you can blow off like that!" Dante snapped, and Chazz smirked.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve, Slifer Slacker? Well now that's amusing. If you want a challenge then I _may _just reconsider seeing as how I hit a point. I'll shoot you a message when I feel like it if I change my mind, but you may have to wait for a while. Hehe. See ya Slackers!" Chazz walked off, and Dante tightened his fist with a growl.

"Uh… dude, what was with _that?_" Luke asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I just hate getting compared to my brother, that's all." Dante growled, turning on his heel and leaving at a slight stalk.

"What? But he was speaking so highly of his brother just a few moments ago… what's with the shift?" Luke muttered as he followed.

"I can hear you Luke." Dante sighed.

"Hey, just saying. That was a little weird." Luke stated, and Dante just looked ahead.

"Just… forget that I did that… it's something personal to me." Dante muttered.

"Alright. It's none of my concern anyway." Luke shrugged. "Now let's get outta here quick or we'll miss the greeting dinner."

"Wonder what kind of food we'll get." Dante hummed, a finger on his chin as Luke went ahead.

"Don't tell me you're gonna start going off about food now…" Luke sighed.

"Hey! What's wrong with having a healthy appetite!?" Dante snapped.

"Nothing…" Luke muttered. "Just that things like that can get annoying really fast."

"HEY!"

**A/N**

**And so the hidden inferiority complex comes up. And I will state it now, "Luke" (hint, hint) uses a Lightray oriented deck. That will be a plot point.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Phoenix Knight and the Ice Dragon

**Duel 3: Ice Prince of Obelisk**

**Obelisk Blue Boys Dorm/Zack's room**

Zack was staring at the ceiling from on his bed, his arms behind his head as he contemplated some things, his eyes closed.

"_So, now that Dante's here… I wonder if he can get over his inferiority complex?" _he thought. Zack knew fully well that, while Dante deeply respected him, but that hadn't stopped the fifteen year old from developing a severe inferiority complex caused by being stuck with being expected to live up to the reputation Zack had built up, especially since it was so well known about their being siblings… as opposed to Zane and his _own _younger brother, of whom Zane rarely ever spoke of, or even so much as gave a passing mention most of the time.

"Sire, you know well enough that it will be something your brother must deal with on his own, or else he will never overcome that last boundary facing him" A deep, intelligent voice spoke, and Zack sighed, sitting up and leaning on an arm.

"Gantala, how many times have I told you not to call me that? I don't care _who _I was in whatever old life you mentioned, I'm not that person." Zack muttered, opening his eyes, and standing at the end of his bed was a tall, dark skinned man wearing white and yellow combat robes, a dark blue symbol like that of a snowflake on his bald head, and his left arm and waist were covered in what looked like ice, and another snowflake symbol hovered behind his back.

This was one of four Duel Spirits of Zack's ace cards, General Gantala of the Ice Barrier, though the fourth was one that not many even knew existed as a card yet, and he was intent on keeping that a secret.

"I am only keeping to my oath, sire. Even if times have changed, you are still my and the other generals commander and ruler. That will not change." Gantala stated, and Zack sighed as he laid down again. Duel Spirits he could handle, but being a supposed reincarnation of someone from centuries ago just sounded too weird, though it did make Zack wonder if Dante was the same way. Part of him hoped not.

"Whatever baldy." Zack chuckled, and Gantala kept a straight faced at the boys joke, and Zack sighed again, though he did laugh. "C'mon, would it kill ya' to stop being so serious all the time? What, did my supposed old self not have a sense of humor?"

"No, in your old life you did have a sense of humor… it's the only thing that _isn't _consistent though." Gantala stated with a curt look.

"Eh, whatever. It was in the past wasn't it? And I, for one, don't care for the past. Let it be the past." Zack stated as he jackknifed to his feet, cracking his knuckles. "So, what else brings you here other than hearing about my thoughts regarding my little bro? Something come up?"

"Yes, actually. I've sensed two rather familiar presences on this island now… one of them, we needn't worry about, since it is linked to Dante and I am positive, that with Gearfried by his side, he'll find out. But, the other… is more concerning, if, only minor at the moment." Gantala stated, turning around when Zack went to his desk and stated spinning a card on his finger.

"Hugh…." Zack sighed heavily in an annoyed manner, "Can't I just get some good news from you or the others for once? It always has to be this gloomy stuff regarding some ancient king of darkness. How can you be sure he might be on the rise again? And if it was centuries ago and he was reincarnated who's to say that now he's totally different then from back then? Which, I'm still skeptical on the whole reincarnation deal by the way."

"I assure you sire, what I tell you is truth and only that. And with this presence, for now, as I said, it is only minor and not of much worry… but I would be wary and careful of this, as I'm not sure if this person is even aware of who he really is." Gantala added to his early statement, and Zack just hummed again.

"Well, if we don't need to worry about it now then we won't worry about it. Simple as that. Besides, I've got school to worry about." Zack chuckled.

"Well, maybe you would if you weren't cavorting with that Rhodes girl." Gantala snickered, and Zack narrowed his eyes.

"I told you to shut up about that. We're just friends, that's it." Zack snapped, catching the card he'd been spinning between two of his fingers, slipping it back into his deck holder with a deft movement.

"Whatever you say sire. But, heed my warning and keep watch. You never know what will follow from the next horizon." Galanta stated as he faded away, and Zack put a hand over his eyes.

"And again with leaving me pondering over some ridiculous metaphor like that. WOULD IT HURT TO ACTUALLY TELL ME ABOUT THIS SHIT BEFORE HAND!?" Zack yelled, looking up at the ceiling and then sighing. "Why do I have to deal with those three? They make me think way to hard."

Zack perked up a bit when he got a message on his PDA, and he sighed a bit.

"And so comes the demonstrations… who's the Doc gonna have me duel for the sake of getting back at someone this time?" Zack mumbled, grabbing his Duel Disk and heading out.

**Crowler's Class**

The door to the class slid open, and all the first years in the room craned their necks to see who was entering, gasps or mutters going around when Zack entered.

"Hey… isn't that guy…" one Ra muttered.

"The Ice Dragon of Obelisk… Zachary Cross!" a Slifer gasped.

Up near where Jaden and Syrus were sitting, right beside the two, Luke and Dante were sitting there, Dante was still busy twirling his pen, and Luke bumped his should.

"Take a look at who showed up." Luke muttered, and Dante looked up.

"Oh, wonder why my brother's here." Dante mumbled, Syrus and Jaden gasping.

"That's your brother!?" The other two Slifer's asked, Luke sighing heavily, and Dante just nodded.

"Yeup." Dante stated.

"Dude, that is _sweet! _Your big bro's an Obelisk! How good is he!? C'mon, tell me!" Jaden asked enthusiastically.

"Well, maybe you'll get to see." Dante chuckled.

"Ah, Zachary, good of you to come." Crowler snickered, looking towards the Obelisk.

"Sup Doc? So, what did ya' need me for? It is my free period you know?" Zack stated.

"Yes, yes, I know well enough. But, I wanted to give some of my newer students a demonstration as, say, a refresher just in case." Crowler stated, looking over at the group of Slifer students specifically.

"So like a demonstration duel? Well, that's fine by me, but just who am I gonna be dueling?" Zack asked, spinning a strand of hair. _"And couldn't you have just made some of these guys here do that?" _he thought.

"Hmm…" Crowler thought for a moment, and of course he looked over mainly at Jaden and Dante.

"_Having those two brothers duel each other may not be the best choice now… and I have plans for Jaden… so maybe one of their friends?" _Crowler thought, then an idea hit him. Why not the mysterious transfer student?

"Luke Undine! You will participate in this demonstration alongside Zachary! Get your deck and duel disk ready!" Crowler pointed at the hatted boy, and Luke flinched.

"M-me? Uh…" Luke stuttered.

"Did I say to ask questions? No, I believe I did not." Crowler huffed.

"Hugh, yes sir." Luke sighed, standing up.

"Wow, this is gonna be interesting." Dante mumbled as Luke stepped down to the lower floor after picking up his duel disk.

"Totally! I can't wait to see this!" Jaden chuckled.

"Yeah… but I have a feeling this isn't going to end well for Luke." Dante muttered.

"Now, for those of you who may need one, and I severely hope you do _not, _this duel will serve to be a refresher over the basic mechanics of Duel Monsters. As the duel progresses, I will ask specific questions about the types of cards, what their use is, so on and so forth. Now, if you two would begin." Crowler, but he was halted when he saw a raised hand, from none other than Dante. "What is it?"

"Yes, uh, Doctor, I'd like to ask, why not just have two of us from the class do this? Why call in one of the second years?" Dante asked, and then some murmurs around the class seemed to be those of some of the other students agreeing with him. Heck, even some of the first year Obelisks found they had to agree with the Slifer. This was a little, strange.

"Boy, do not question my methods! I simply chose Zachary since I felt that his dueling style would serve to make a good example for this lesson! Now pay attention, all of you, and stop mumbling to yourselves unless you'd like to say it to the whole class!" Crowler snapped, "Now, if there will not be any more pointless interruptions, you two may begin."

"Alright. Hope you're ready kid." Zack snickered as his disk opened.

"Hmph, fine, let's see how an Obelisk shapes up." Luke huffed.

"**DUEL!"**

**Zachary: 4000 LP**

**Luke: 4000LP**

"Now, as you all should know, in a conventional Duel, all participants start with 4000 life points. Can someone tell me ways to lower them? Or even raise them might I add?" Crowler asked, and the first hand up: Dante's, which was received with some mocking mutters from the Obelisks.

"I doubt that Slifer Slacker even knows what he's talking about." One Obelisk scoffed.

"Even if he's Zachary's brother, being in Slifer shows something." Another Obelisk snickered.

"I can hear all of you guys y'know?" Dante muttered before turning back to Crowler, "Simple: The most conventional way to lower an opponent's Life Points is to attack them with your monsters, but, if your opponent has a monster on the field, then that damage won't be as big, or nothing will be dealt if they're in defense position, or if your dumb enough to attack a monster with higher attack points then the difference will be dealt to you, and it's also possible to lower life points through the use of various spells or trap cards, or even the effects of some monsters, and sometimes even raise them up. A few examples of spells and traps that can do this would be: Backfire, Black Pendant, Cyber Summon Blaster, D.D. Dynamite, and there are quite a few others I could list."

That, was met with various reactions, but mostly surprise.

"Ah… ahem… that… that is correct, very good. Now, if you two will proceed. Luke can take the first draw." Crowler stated with an edge of resentment in his tone.

"Thank you sir. I'll start then!" Luke drew, taking a look at the cards in his hand.

**Drawn Card: Divine Knight Ishzark**

**In Hand: Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior**

**Aurkus, Lightsworn Druid**

**Banner of Courage**

**Divine Wrath**

**Solar Recharge**

"Well, time to use what fate's dealt me. To start, I'll summon Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior in attack mode!" Luke set the card down, and the spear wielding, white armor covered warrior sprung forth.

**Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior: 1850ATK/1300DEF**

"Next I'll play a facedown and end my turn there." Luke set the card in the slot and lowered his arm.

"Well played turn. Now, who would like to explain why Luke didn't attack with his monster?" Crowler asked.

"That's a simple one. The player who goes first in a duel cannot attack with any monster they summon on that turn, but, their opponent can on the next turn, so it's wise to set up a good defense if you do go first to avoid leaving yourself open to attacks." Bastion stated.

"Well said Bastion. Now, Zachary, it's your turn." Crowler nodded.

"Alright, here I go." Zack drew, looking at his hand now.

**Drawn Card: Samurai of the Ice Barrier**

**In Hand: Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier**

**General Gantala of the Ice Barrier**

**Double Summon**

**Mirror Force**

**Magic Circle of the Ice Barrier**

"Well, talk about a lucky hand. First, I'll play the spell card Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier." Zack hummed a bit when he saw what he drew, and when the spell was placed, a magic circle in the same shape of a snowflake, the symbol of the Ice Barrier, appeared on the field.

"What does that do?" Luke asked.

"Simple, by revealing three Ice Barrier monsters in my hand, I can destroy one of your cards and then special summon one of those monsters to the field. And, as luck would have it, I have exactly three right here in my hand." Zack stated, showing all three monsters in his hand, "And, the card I choose to destroy is your Lightsworn warrior!"

A burst of ice shards shot from the magic circle, and Garoth was pelted with them before bursting into shards, and Luke growled.

"And now, thanks to the magic circles effect, I can summon one of my monsters. I choose to summon General Gantala of the Ice Barrier straight to the field." Zack placed the card in attack mode, and Gantala rose to the field in a mist of ice shards.

**General Gantala of the Ice Barrier: 2700ATK/2000DEF**

"Whoa… he managed to get a monster like that out on the field already!?" Jaden gasped in awe.

"That's Zack for ya'. His Ice Barrier deck has monsters that can swarm the field with ease if he get's the right set up. And considering the fact he has Gantala on the field so soon, any Ice Barrier monsters that wind up in the graveyard will come right back." Dante mumbled, folding his hands.

"Darn… I'm left wide open…" Luke growled.

"Now, Gantala, attack him directly! Ice Barrier Lariat!" Zack commanded, and Gantala rushed forward, slamming Luke with his left arm and knocking the Slifer to the ground before leaping back.

"Damn…" Luke growled as his Life Points dropped.

**Luke: 1300LP**

"To end, I'll place a face down and end my turn." Zack muttered as Luke stood up.

"Very well played. So, who can explain how this turn worked out?" Crowler asked, and Dante threw his hand up again.

"The spell card placed allowed Zack to clear the field and summon a powerful monster, so it was quite easy to bring the duel to the point it's at no thanks to it. Though the only drawback is that he can't use Gantala's effect without having any monsters in the graveyard. But, if the opponent cannot counter this next turn, then the duel is just about over." Dante stated.

"Well, good summation. Luke, take your turn." Crowler grumbled. He was a little annoyed at how easily Dante could answer these questions.

"Alright, I draw!" Luke snapped as he drew.

**Drawn Card: Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner**

Luke took a moment to analyze the field, then a thought occurred.

"Alright, first, I'll activate the spell card Banner of Courage, so now any monster I control gains 200 attack points during my battle phase." Luke set the card, and a blue and red banner rose to the field, "And next, I'll use the spell Solar Recharge! By discarding one Lightsworn monster in my hand, I can draw two more cards."

Luke placed Lumina in his graveyard and pulled two more cards out of his deck, taking a brief look.

**Drawn Cards: Judgement Dragon**

**Call of the Haunted**

"And next, I have to send two more cards from the top of my deck to my graveyard as well." Luke added, taking two more cards and depositing them into his graveyard after taking a look and smirking. "And next, I'll summon Aurkus, Lightsword Druid to the field in attack mode!"

From the card on the field rose a white robed priest of some kind with a stern look to his face.

"And no thanks to you destroying Garoth _and _the effect of Solar Recharge, I have more than four different Lightsworns in my graveyard, which means I can special summon Judgment Dragon from my hand!" Luke slammed the card down on his disk, and behind him, the majestic, white feathered dragon rose and gave a roar, the class aweing as it did.

**Judgment Dragon: 3000ATK/2600DEF**

"Now that was a nice move! With that card Gantala's gonna bite the dust!" Jaden chuckled.

"Luke might just win this!" Syrus stated.

"He just might… if Zack doesn't pull something out to completely throw off Luke's game… I would know, it's happened to me plenty of times." Dante stated, thinking back to the last time he'd dueled Zack a couple years ago.

_**Two Years Ago**_

_In the park of New Domino city, Dante was dueling with Zack, and at the moment, Dante was about to attack._

"_Not so fast there Dante! I activate my face down, Mirror Force! With this, all your face up monsters are gonne be dust!" Zack stated, and right as Dante's attacking monster struck, it's blow was reflected and all of the monsters Dante had summoned were obliterated._

"_Darn…" Dante growled as he shielded his eyes from the dust._

"_Heh, didn't see that coming huh? And considering you've got nothing left to do, I'll take the next turn!" Zack snickered as he drew. "Alright, now I play Magic Circle of the Ice Barrier!"_

_**Present Time**_

Dante shook his head to shake off the memory. Predictably, he'd lost quickly after that.

"_For all we know, Zack could have Mirror Force played right now. No one knows what that face down card is…" _Dante thought.

"Alright, now, I'll just take care of your General! Judgment Dragon, send that General to the grave with Light of Judgment!" Luke yelled, and Judgment Dragon began gather light in it's mouth before releasing it as a beam at Gantala.

"Think again kid. I play my face down, Mirror Force. I think everyone here knows just what this card does." Zack stated, and Luke gasped as his eyes widened.

"No way! With that…" Jaden gasped.

"All of Luke's monsters are toast!" Syrus yelped.

"I'm not surprised Zack had that on the field… I've fallen for that trap for years." Dante sighed, feeling kinda sorry for Luke.

When the light came close to Gantala, it was deflected and obliterated both Judgment Dragon and Aurkus, Luke raising his arms as they were destroyed, his field completely empty now.

"Darn it…" Luke grumbled.

"Seeing as how now your field _and _hand is empty, it's my turn. And I won't draw, because this is over. Gantala, end this! Barrier Spear!" Luke commanded, Gantala letting the ice spear loose, and Luke took the full brunt of it, his Life Points hitting zero.

"Ah, wonderful! A perfect match! I was so caught up in it by this point I ran out of questions to ask the class. So, I want a report on what you saw today along with a full analysis on what occurred, understood!" Crowler barked, getting nods from the class, and quite a lot of annoyed groans from the Slifer's, well, most of them.

"Hey, Luke, was it? That was a good match back there." Zack chuckled, stepping over to Luke, who was brushing off his arms.

"Whatever. You still won." Luke huffed, and Zack sighed.

"Y'know, if it wasn't for my Mirror Force, you definitely would've won that one. You've got a good deck there, so, good game." Zack chuckled, holding out a hand, and after a moment, Luke slowly shook it.

"You're not too bad. In all honesty I though Obelisks were just a bunch of snobs. Guess you're an exception." Luke muttered, and Zack laughed, putting his arms behind his head.

"There's a few diamonds in the rut with us Obelisks. They're just hard to find." Zack chuckled before he left, and Luke sighed, going back to sit beside Dante.

"So, impressions?" Dante asked.

"Simply put: Outside of a duel, you and your brother are really similar… but in a duel… that cold demeanor was a surprise to me." Luke mumbled.

"Yeah… he's always been like that. Still, that was a sweet match! I've never seen anyone come _that _close to beating Zack outside of me since, well, y'know. Of course I've never beat him once soooo…" Dante muttered, putting a hand on the back of his head, and Luke scoffed, giving his roommate a smirk, and Dante noted that the way Luke was leaning on his elbows looked a bit more feminine than it should have.

"Oh really now? What's the record?" Luke snickered.

"I lost count after fifteen losses." Dante sighed, leaning his head down on the desk, and Luke scoffed.

"Wow."

"Shut up."

**A/N**

**I was really careful this time with making sure I did the duel right… and I decided on each of the three character themes:**

**Dante: **_**"Gravity 0", **_**Aqua Timez**

**Zack: **_**"Clear Mind", **_**Masaaki Endoh**

"**Luke": **_**"Again", **_**Yui**

**And, quick question, should I pair up Zack with another OC or a canon character perhaps?**


	4. Chapter 4

The Phoenix Knight and the Ice Dragon

**Chapter 4: The Two Gearfrieds**

**Dante and Luke's room**

Dante was tossing and turning on his bunk, his eyes tightly shut, but then they snapped open and he shot up, slamming his head onto the bottom of the empty middle bunk.

"GAGH!" Dante yelped as he flopped back down, a hand on his forehead, "Ow… that dream again… I haven't had that one in a few months…" he sighed.

"Dante, keep it down will ya!?" Luke snapped from above.

"Sorry… didn't mean to." Dante mumbled, staring up at the bed above. _"But… why do I even have that dream? And it's so vivid I can't tell if it's a dream or something else half the time… I'm in, Zack's in it, heck, even Gantala and Gearfried show up… but then there's two more… a girl… someone I feel like I know very well… and oddly enough… she kinda looks like Luke… and then another knight who looks like Gearfried… strange… but… it's just a dream… right?" _he thought, the same questions along with that added one going through his head like a storm.

**Classroom**

Dante was tapping his pen on the table, a thoughtful look on his face, and Jaden and Syrus were busy trying to make him snap out of the funk.

"Man, what the heck is up with him?" Jaden muttered, "Luke, you know anything about this?"

"How the hell would I? Dante's been like that since this morning." Luke grumbled.

"Hey! Earth to Dante! Snap out of it buddy!" Jaden snapped, smacking Dante on the back of the head, the other boys head slamming onto the desk. "Whoops…"

"Ow…" Dante mumbled, lifting his head and rubbing the spot where a mark was showing up. "Care to tell me why you did that?"

"Uh, well, you were kinda stuck in a funk, so I was trying to snap ya' out of it. But, that was kinda strange. You're never this quiet." Jaden stated.

"Yeah, normally you're cracking some kind of joke or answering every question thrown your way. It's almost strange to see you like this." Syrus stated, and Dante sighed.

"I've just been thinking about something. Something that makes me think every time." Dante murmured.

"What is it?" Jaden asked.

"Well… a certain dream I have at times… and this is the first time in a few months I've seen it… and when I do it becomes recurring so… I dunno… it's also crazy vivid, almost like it's completely real… and there's a person in that dream who I feel like I know better than anyone I ever have, but I just can't but my finger on it… her appearance rings a bell but I just can't think of a name." Dante muttered.

"Whoa, you're telling me you have this dream that happens where you see a girl in it!?" Syrus gasped.

"Wow, that's pretty weird. Maybe it's a dream where you're seeing your soul mate or something like that!" Jaden laughed.

"Oh shut up. I don't even know why I have that dream… but it feels… almost like a memory… it's odd." Dante mumbled.

"Like a memory?" Luke mumbled. That sounded a bit too close to familiar to him for some reason.

"Yeah… it's weird. But, I tend not to worry about it because… well, I mean, a dream is just a dream right? You don't really have to worry about them much do you?" Dante stated, and Luke just looked to the side with a near thoughtful look.

"_A dream that feels like a memory… apparently I'm not the only one…" _Luke thought.

**Dante and Luke's Dorm**

Dante was busy reorganizing his deck at the moment, three cards in particular in his hand.

"Gearfried, I need your advice right now… just what does that dream mean? Is it just a dream, or is there something else behind it I don't know about? And why the heck are Zack and Gantala in it? And… do you know who that girl and the other knight are?" Dante asked, and the spirit of the monster appeared sitting on the floor before him with his arms crossed.

"I don't want to say much Dante, as for now, I feel now isn't the time to tell you… but, I will tell you that yes, that dream does have a meaning to it, and an important one connected to you, Zachary, and even that girl you see. As for that other knight, I do know him… but, it's a complicated explanation. For now, I'll have you know, that girl you see is someone I have a feeling you will meet very soon… and when the time comes I'll reveal everything I can to you. That is my promise as your head knight." Gearfried stated, and Dante sighed.

"And what's up with the head knight thing? I get you said you're from some time long past and decided to become a Duel Spirit for some reason, but I'm curious about that little quip. I don't get it." Dante muttered, and Gearfried laughed.

"That will also be explained in due time. For now, just focus on your current goal, getting to the higher ranks in this school." Gearfried stated before vanishing, and Dante hung his head.

"He never explains anything in full." Dante sighed as he placed Gearfried's card back into his deck, looking at the other two. "Should I use you guys or not? Part of me doesn't want to yet… it almost seems unfair to use cards nobody even knows exist… well, besides Zack."

The door flew open and Luke came back in, and Dante quickly stuck the two cards back into his deck, and Luke raised an eyebrow when he caught a very brief glimpse of white.

"_A white card? Never seen one like that before…" _Luke thought.

"Hey there, what're you up to?" Luke asked as he took one of the chairs.

"Just doing some reorganizing since the monthly exam is coming up soon. I want my deck to be in top form for that duel so I can get up into Ra." Dante stated, and Luke let out a slight huff.

"Why do you care so much about getting up into Obelisk?" Luke asked as Dante started shuffling his deck.

"I told you, I need to prove that I'm not just the little brother of Zachary Cross. I'm me. It's why I duel the way I do. Heck, did I ever tell you the story about how I got these cards?" Dante snickered, showing Phoenix Gearfried and Evocator Chevalier, and Luke's eyes widened when he saw Phoenix Gearfried.

"Sure, I'll listen…" Luke mumbled, curious. _"That looks a lot like one of my monsters… wonder how he got it…"_

"Alright, well, Gemini monsters are pretty new monster types… well, not super new, but a few of them are, especially my Phoenix Gearfried and Evocator Chevalier. But, a lot of the cards in my deck weren't bought in a card shop, besides, my family owns one. You see, I got a lot of them after winning a junior tournament when I was thirteen. Back then, I dueled with a deck loosely based on my brothers, with a strategy that was pretty similar, and it was working for me… but, it never felt right. You know what I mean by that, right?" Dante explained, and Luke nodded.

"Yeah. Copying someone, even if loosely, never really works out well, especially in Duel Monsters." Luke stated.

"Yep, so, when I won that tournament and was presented with a deck oriented towards Gemini monsters, you wouldn't believe how stoked I was! A deck that broke away from what I was using and was totally unique! So ever since, I've been dueling with my Gemini's and such, and let's just say I tweaked some things with that deck I was given and made it what it is now. But, I want to ask to, why is it you don't seem all too interested in moving up in the dorms? I know you said you don't wanna be in Slifer for long, but you don't seem to care much. I mean, come on, that Lightsworn deck you have is awesome! You almost beat my brother of all people with you Judgment Dragon! Wait… doesn't that have an effect to destroy all cards on the enemy field?" Dante exclaimed, and Luke scoffed.

"I don't care because I just don't care. What's the point of the dorms except to objectify the students? I mean, look at you and Jaden, you two are good enough to beat a _teacher _with ease and yet you're stuck in Slifer because of what? Missing the written test. It's just stupid. I know having knowledge on dueling is key, but shouldn't the skill itself also count?" Luke stated. "And yes, it does… I could have paid the one thousand life points and won… but I really hate using that when I'm in a tight spot like that… I mean, what if he'd had a counter card in his hand? I would have been even more boned than I already was!"

"True, true, I see your point… and yeah, skill does count, but you gotta remember this is also a school, so written test scores count just as much as the scores on a duel exam. Okay, so maybe most of the Obelisks in this school are a bunch of pricks since they think they're better than everyone, but look at my brother, he's not bad at all, and I'm sure there are some more like him in the bunch. And also you've been kinda moody all week, what's with that?" Dante asked, and Luke flinched.

"N-none of your business! Does it matter anyway!?" Luke snapped.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, just the other day you were yelling at me during our duel practice and then the next moment you flipped your switch and were suddenly really chill and drowsy. And then last night before going to bed you kicked me out of the room before letting me back in while not as angry as before. Are you bipolar or something?" Dante asked.

"I AM NOT BIPOLAR!" Luke snapped.

"Multiple Personalities?"

"WHERE DO YOU GET OFF THINKING THAT?!"

"Do you have to take meds?"

"IT'S MY MONTHLY ALRIGHT!? WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP ABOUT IT!?" Luke screamed, his voice suddenly getting higher and more girly in sounds, and Dante sat there with wide eyes.

"What?" Dante mumbled, "Did you just say you're monthly? But… only… girls…" Dante trailed off, and realization started smacking him in the face left and right. "SAY WHAT!?"

"Ngh…" Luke mumbled, "Yeah… I'm… I'm actually a girl, alright, so will you please stop with all the questions!? It's annoying as hell!" she snapped, shooting up and pretty much tearing off her hat, and from it, Luke's hair fell all the way down to her waist, a little bit past however.

"How in the world did you fit that much hair under that hat Luke?" Dante asked.

"MY NAME ISN'T LUKE! That's my brother's name. My name is… it's… GAGH! Can you please leave the room so I can get outta this boy's uniform!?" Luke snapped, pretty much throwing Dante out of the room.

"Uhm… alright… that was weird…" Dante murmured.

Across the platform, the door to Jaden and Syrus' dorm opened, the two running out with Chumley behind them.

"Hey there dude. We heard some noise from your room. Something happen?" Jaden asked.

"Sounded like yelling." Syrus stated.

"Uhm… nothing much… Luke and I are just screwing around, nothing much!" Dante snickered, trying to cover up. _"The only reason I found out was an accident… Luke probably has her reasons for covering up like that…"_

"Well, alright, but if anything happens just come get us, alright." Jaden stated, and Dante nodded as they left, giving a sigh.

"That was close."

"You can come in now…" Luke muttered, and Dante walked back in, blushing a bit when he saw Luke wearing the girls Slifer Uniform, which consisted of a sleeveless red blazer with detached sleeves ending at the elbows, a white, red edged skirt, though the one Luke was wearing was pleated, and the usual boots… and she was also notably not as flat as before.

"Whoa…" Dante mumbled. _"Holy crap she's actually really cute… but… now that I look a bit harder, she looks _exactly _like that girl I saw in my dream… weird…"_

"W-what are you staring at!?" Luke snapped.

"S-sorry! Just… I'm surprised is all… so, we left off where you were about to say what your actual name is." Dante coughed, and Luke nodded.

"So, like I said, Luke was my brother's name… my real name's Lucina." Lucina stated.

"Alright, not a bad name, mind if I call ya' Lucy?" Dante chuckled.

"Yes, actually, I do mind." Lucina growled, crossing her arms.

"Um… alright… but, would you care to explain why you disguised yourself as a guy? I mean, if you have your reason than alright, but still, it's a little odd that you chose to disguise yourself and use your brother's name." Dante stated, and Lucina looked to the side.

"Yeah, I know. But I had too… you see… my brothers really wanted to be able to come here… but he has a lot of health issues… so I told him I'd go in his place since he can't… I want to keep my promise to him, it's why I have this with me." Lucina reached into her deck holder and pulled out a card, and Dante looked at it curiously.

"Lightray Gearfried… WHOA!? That looks almost exactly like my Phoenix Gearfried!" Dante gasped upon seeing that the monster indeed looked exactly like his, but with blue in place of the orange on the armor, and his sword was curved instead. _"And furthermore… that's the same Knight from my dream… so it was Lucina who was in there! But how? I didn't even know her until a few weeks ago!" _

"So, no wonder that presence was familiar… it's them."

Dante looked to his side when Phoenix Gearfried appeared next to him, and Lucina flinched when she saw him.

"WHOA!? W-what the!?" Lucina gasped.

"Whoa, you can see him too?" Dante asked.

"Well duh! Of course I can see him, he's standing right there for crying out loud!" Lucina snapped, and Dante yelped when Lightray Gearfried appeared next to the girl.

"My lady, please, calm yourself. That's no way to behave." Lightray stated.

"Aw zip it!" Lucina snapped.

"Wow… that's awesome! I actually thought I was the only person I knew who could see Duel Spirits!" Dante laughed.

"Hmph, I see this as no surprise." Phoenix chuckled, "Either way, it's been a long time."

"Yes, it has. Brother." Lightray nodded.

"WAIT WHAT!?" Dante yelped.

"Wait… you know him Lightray?" Lucina asked.

"Of course I do. Though it has been a long time since we last saw each other… and I can see you found your lord once again." Lightray stated.

"Of course I have. I made an oath the same as you to look out for him as you would yours." Phoenix stated, and the two Slifer's just looked at each other.

"Any idea what they're talking about?" Dante asked.

"No clue." Lucina shook her head as the two knights started talking, seemingly forgetting about the other two in the room.

"Uh, hello, Gearfried bros, could me and Lucy here get an explanation for this? I mean, it's all kinda confusing." Dante stated.

"What did I say about calling me Lucy!?" Lucina snapped.

"Yeah, and does it sound like I listened. You've been yelling all night, isn't that bad for your throat or something?" Dante muttered, crossing his arms.

"Oh like you'd know that! And does it matter!? In case you forgot I'm not in a good mood right now!" Lucina yelled.

"When are you _ever _in a good mood?" Dante asked, and the two knights in the room laughed.

"Well, I have to say that brings back memories." Lightray chuckled.

"Seems even now those two bicker without an end in sight!" Phoenix laughed.

"Okay, can we _please _get clarification on this matter?" Dante asked.

"I don't like being left in dark thank you very much! Just what the hell do you two mean by "brings back memories?" I've heard enough crap like that in the first place!" Lucina snapped, the two Gearfried's looking at each other.

"Should we tell them?" Lightray asked.

"It might only be appropriate." Phoenix stated, and Dante raised an eyebrow when he heard his PDA go off, and he took it out of his jacket.

"Oh hey, it's Chazz! Wonder what he wants." Dante chuckled, playing the message.

"_Hey there Slifer Slacker! I've decided on a location for our duel. Meet me at the Obelisk arena at the coastline tonight at midnight, don't be late. My last duel was interrupted, but this one won't go that way!" _

Dante clicked his PDA shut when the message ended.

"Well, that didn't take long. Wonder what made Chazz take so long to decide." Dante mused.

"Wait, you can't be serious, you're actually gonna duel him? You're kidding me right?" Lucina grumbled.

"Nope! I never back down from a challenge! And you're one to talk about not being able to beat an Obelisk when you came _very _close to beating Zack… hell, you could've… Besides, I bet this duel is gonna be fun! By the way, are you gonna keep disguising yourself or…" Dante muttered.

"Here's the deal, only call me Lucina when we're alone, got it? And I swear, if you tell anyone I'm a girl I'll knock you into next week!" Lucina snapped, sticking a finger in Dante's face.

"Okay okay, I got it! I promise, I won't tell anyone. But, it won't be my fault if you get found out somehow alright?" Dante stated, folding his arms.

"Why you… are you asking to get hurt!?" Lucina snapped, Dante just looking to the side.

"No, I'm just saying it won't be my fault if you get found out somehow. Like per-say that hat of yours getting blown off." Dante stated.

"Yeah, like that'd happen." Lucina growled.

"Hey, for all we know it could." Dante shrugged. "Nothing's impossible after all."

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" Lucina snapped, lunging, and Dante simply stepped to the side repeatedly.

"Those two really haven't changed." Phoenix mused.

"Give it time and I bet they'll be acting the way they used to around each other." Lightray added, his brother nodding.

"Perhaps they will… but, things can change with time... we shall have to see… though in the meantime, Dante needs to prepare for his next duel." Phoenix stated, his brother nodded, and now Dante was smirking as he held Lucina back with one hand on her head.

"Gotta try harder than that Lucy!" Dante snickered.

"Quit callin' me Lucy!" Lucina growled.

"Yes… we shall see… though from what I see, things may not be quite that different." Lightray nodded with a small laugh. Now, to simply see where this next duel would lead to…

**A/N**

**Okay, did **_**anyone **_**see that plot twist coming? Seriously, I wonder if anyone did.**


End file.
